Page 39 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

A fine aerial ALKING UP to the top of HMS Queen The carrier gap
view of HMS ‘Queen W
Elizabeth’ shortly after Elizabeth’s ski-jump and looking Not surprisingly, the officers and sailors
sailing from Rosyth in June. back at her vast flight deck is the onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth were itching
All images Crown Copyright unless best way to appreciate that the UK’s new to put their ship through her paces. Setting
otherwise stated super-carrier is purpose designed and built sail for sea trials on June 26 was a major
to launch and recover aircraft in the most milestone in the project to close the Royal
efficient and effective way. The carrier’s Navy’s ‘aircraft carrier gap’, which resulted
919ft (280m) flight deck stretches into the from the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security
distance. In the carrier’s aft island, the Review. As part of a bid to cut the Ministry of
flying control (Flyco) is up and running to Defence’s (MOD’s) budget, Britain’s last strike
oversee air operations on the ship with her carrier, HMS Ark Royal and her complement of
team of aircraft controllers at work and Harrier GR9s were sacrificed, leaving the UK
visible through the island’s large windows. lacking fixed-wing naval aviation for the first
During AFM’s visit to the ship a few days time since World War One. The money saved
before she was to leave Rosyth to start her was to be ploughed back into making sure the
contractor sea trials (see AFM August, p8), delayed and over-budget HMS Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth was a hive of activity as the and Prince of Wales could actually be built.
dockyard workers were in the final stages The cost of re-establishing what is termed the
of removing their tools, scaffolding and UK’s Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP)
temporary power supplies. Amid the coming capability is truly eye watering. At the time of
and going of hundreds of men and women initial contract signature in 2007 the estimated
in hi-visibility vests, the ship’s company cost of the two carriers was just over £3bn. It
was carrying out a last damage control now stands at some £6.2bn to build the two
rehearsal exercise to enable the carrier to carriers, £5.8bn to buy 48 Lockheed Martin
receive her certificate of sea worthiness. F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and
Just behind Rosyth dockyard’s huge £300m to procure Crowsnest airborne early
Goliath crane, Queen Elizabeth’s sister ship, warning radars for installation in the Fleet Air
HMS Prince of Wales, can be seen in an Arm’s Merlin HMA2 helicopters. According to
advanced stage of assembly. Almost 20 the UK National Audit Office (NAO) spending
years of effort to design, build and deliver watchdog, a further £600m has been set aside
a new generation of aircraft carriers for to operate the two carriers over the next five
the Royal Navy is nearing its fruition. years; paying for fuel, food, maintenance and

www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 39